Question: Should Local Gummint Hire PR Firms?

More Info: When Spokane Deputy Mayor Jack Lynch took a controversial sick leave last September, his boss, Mayor Dennis Hession, hired a public relations firm to help explain Lynch's absence to the public. On Tuesday, the Spokane City Council unanimously approved a $1,400 bill to pay for the services of the Gallatin Group, a Pacific Northwest-based firm with an office in Spokane.

Question: Should cities and counties hire public relations firms to help them survive controversies and lobby people?